Plectranthus ornatus

Dogbane spp.

Plectranthus ornatus has succulent, rounded, grey-green foliage, which has an unpleasant smell and grows up to 20-30cm tall with a 1 m spread. It has chubby flower spikes which are purplish-blue in colour that blooms in Autumn but flowering can be sporadic. It can cope with sun or shade but flowers best in full sun, and tolerates extremely poor garden positions. The stems should be cut back fairly hard after flowering. It enjoys being mulched and fed occasionally.

Planning

Difficulty

Easy

Fruiting time

Summer, Autumn

Harvesting

Not usually harvested.

Propagation

Cuttings

It easily grows from cuttings taken during the growing season - cut off a 10-15cm piece, remove the leaves from the bottom half and keep moist in a sandy soil mix!